Russia imposes official ban on Kazakh wheat imports

Rosselkhoznadzor has imposed a temporary ban on deliveries of several types of agricultural raw materials from Kazakhstan from October 17, 2024. The deadline for lifting the restrictions is not specified.

The list includes wheat (soft and hard), lentils, oilseed flax seeds.

At the same time, transit of all these products through the territory of Russia is allowed, provided that the Kazakhstani side issues phytosanitary certificates directly to the country of final destination and transshipment of grain directly from railcars to the holds of the ship.

A complete ban (without authorized transit) is imposed on shipments of tomatoes, peppers, sunflower seeds originating in third countries and melons of Kazakhstani origin from Kazakhstan to Russia.

Recall that in mid-September, Rosselkhoznadzor addressed a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan with a request to stop issuing phytosanitary certificates for deliveries to Russia from Kazakhstan from September 23rd all the same types of agricultural products, including grain products.

This request was motivated by “an increase in the number of detected regulated objects” in deliveries.

At the same time, none of the market participants have any doubts about the fact that the restrictions imposed are Russia’s response to the complete ban on Russian wheat supplies to Kazakhstan, which was imposed at the end of July and will be in effect until the end of 2024. The government of Kazakhstan took this step in anticipation of a high harvest this season, in order to prevent the collapse of grain prices in the domestic market of the country.

It should be noted that the share of grain and oilseeds supplies from Kazakhstan in the total volume of exports from the country to Russia is very small. For example, in 2023 durum wheat from Kazakhstan to Russia was shipped for $400 thousand, soft wheat – for $600 thousand. Kazakhstan is much more interested in this harvest season in the possibility of transit through Russian seaports of its agricultural products to Europe and other countries.

At the international grain conference Agricom, which was held in Astana in late September, experts of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan expressed the opinion that Kazakhstan should lift the ban on wheat supplies from Russia ahead of schedule in order to avoid retaliatory measures from russia and not to jeopardize the possibility of transit of its agricultural products through russian territory.

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Tags: Russia, Kazakhstan, wheat, sunseed, restrictions